I've already written extensively in this blog about my adventures in purchasing a refurbished Sony VAIO laptop.  Unfortunately, the laptop in question has crashed and died.  Since I purchased it in April 2005, and it spent some time in transit, and then I had to do without while waiting for a replacement, I calculate that I netted about seven months of use from a laptop that cost me a total of $366.55 USD, which included shipping and extended warranty.

Speaking of the extended warranty, when my laptop crashed in January, I sent it back to the vendor for repairs.  Yesterday, I received the dead laptop in the mail, with this note from the vendor:

"We sorry to inform you that we can not fix your laptop (sic).
The reason laptop was dropped and its physical damage witch is void your warranty with us (sic).  We found broken parts inside the laptop."

I actually don't remember dropping the laptop, but this testimony is coming from a chronically klutzy woman who may have collided with something while carrying the laptop.

It probably makes sense for me to think about comparing the cost of buying a refurbished laptop to that of leasing or renting a new one.  Nothing lasts forever, so the question is whether I'm getting enough short-term use and convenience from whatever I purchase.